dhamster posted a Radiohead cover that got me thinking about cover versions.
In the past, covering songs was a part of what making music was all about. Somewhere down the line, that became a no-no and even now it's a practice sometimes mentioned in tones of contempt. That said, there are some pretty great covers out there.
Walk off the Earth has done a lot of well executed covers like The Fairytale of New York, though it is markedly not punk, I think the musicianship makes up for it.
I don't know much about Lykke Li, but she does a haunting cover of Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow.
Lake Street Dive does a really great cover of I Want You Back.
And finally, Donny Hathaway does this defiant version of Jealous Guy.
What covers do you like?
I like it when a cover makes everyone rethink their creative process, let alone the original. Señor Coconut y su Conjunto's cover of "Autobahn" by Kraftwerk. Yes, that's cumbia merengue version of the Krautrock classic. However it's also techno: the first Coconut album was mostly made with synths. Coconut added his cohorts for the live show. If you want to hear more, don't ride the white horse. The Soup Dragons' cover of "I'm Free" is a luxurious revisit of the Rolling Stones. You can feel yourself learn back in your heels. Speaking of the Rolling Stones: The Sundays' cover of "Wild Horses". When I first heard this in college, it made me realize how well country songs turn into soft rock without melting into schmaltz. Hmm, schmaltz would actually do the melting, as it's chicken fat. I need to work on that metaphor. One more Stones... oddity. R.E.M.'s "Wolves, Lower" is really the main riff from "Paint It, Black" sped up. By the way, here is R.E.M. covering the latter live on West German TV. You can tell it's 1985 because Stipe's hair is bleached then dyed with mustard. Too bad he's too drunk to recall more than the first verse. I have an entire album of REM covering songs during early tours. I'd probably have to digitize their destruction of "I've Got You, Babe" for sport. I found a version of their take on Mission of Burma's "Academy Fight Song". I have a slightly better live version on a 7" from issue 40 of Bucketful of Brains -- again, on the stack to be digitized. We're probably all heard of Surprise Your Pig: A Tribute to R.E.M.. This gives us Vic Chestnutt's fascinating spin on "It's the End of the World as" blah blah blah. Great Big Sea have a lot of fun with that song (and you can understand all of the words at long last thanks to those sociable Newfies), but the late Mr Chestnutt plays far harder core. Oh yeah, another brain fryer: The Dismemberment Plan's cover of this. I don't want to give away what the Plan is covering. Just control-click to open in another tab and don't look. It may take a while and be worth it. Worthththth. It. I need to close with something solid, something that just... skip the intro: Dread Zeppelin's version of "Stir It Up", complete with fast food order. Bob Marley would, umm... Man, I got real, real gone doing this. Not quite Butthole Surfers covering "Hurdy Gurdy Man", but it'll do.
I've always been interested in covers that fundamentally change the meaning of the original song with a new style or instrumentation. Such as: Maxence Cyrin - Where Is My Mind Dynamite Hack - Boyz In Tha Hood Ben Folds - Bitches Ain't Shit I also think it's interesting when a cover song reaches a level of popularity rivaling the original song, like: Jimi Hendrix - All Along the Watchtower
Dynamite Hack - Boyz in the Hood is one of my all time favorite "feel good" songs. In that same vein, I love The Gourds - Gin and Juice cover.
Amanda Palmer does some of my favourite covers. There are a bunch of other artists that do really great ones, too, but I'm drawing a blank on them right now, so Amanda Palmer it is: War Pigs. Sort of what you'd expect, but she manages to pull off powerful vocals and piano, as she always does. Goddamn the Sun. Covering the Swans, almost certainly less well-known. Absolutely beautiful, I'd say.
Dresden Dolls cover reminds me of Anika's cover of Masters of War.
"Hurt", but the late Johnny Cash. Even Trent Reznor said "That song isn't mine anymore" when commenting on Cash's cover during an interview. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aF9AJm0RFc Cake - I Will Survive. By far one of the greatest covers of all time. Totally takes a song from another genre, from a different sex singer, and totally owns it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KJjVMqNIgA Also, almost anything by "Vitamin String Quartet". All they do is cover songs, and they've covered EVERYTHING. If you go to their webpage they have hundreds of albums. Personal favorite, and my fiancee will be marching to this song at our wedding... Don't Stop Believing... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrZsU7x1aFk Or "Home" Cover... which we also want to fit into our wedding somewhere.
Galaxie 500 did a few covers, two of which I love. They covered Ceremony and, in my opinion, one of their best songs is their cover of The Modern Lovers Song, Don't Let Our Youth Go To Waste. I really enjoy the Yo La Tengo cover of Here Comes My Baby by Cat Stevens. That band has done an absurd amount of covers. The Postal Service did a classic cover of Suddenly Everything Has Changed. Memoryhouse (a dream pop band) once covered Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic by The Police. I'm a fan of that as well. One of my absolute favorite covers is the Streetlight Manifesto cover of Such Great Heights, the Iron & Wine cover is very good as well. I know you said cover songs, but the Flaming Lips cover of Dark Side of the Moon is great. Also Lykke Li is awesome and you should check out more of her music.
With regards to Ceremony, one of my favourite bands, Chromatics, did a cover of it too, putting a bit of an italo spin to it. Actually, while I'm here, they also covered Kate Bush with Running Up That Hill
Never knew Chromatics did that cover. All that I've listened to by them is Kill for Love, which was a great album. Covering Neil Young is usually a good way to open an album.
It seems that their label, Italians Do It Better, have a thing for covers. I'm just gonna post a bunch now because why not. Dark Day - Hands in the Dark Dark Day - The Chameleon Kraftwerk - Computerliebe Belle Epoque - Miss Broadway And as you mentioned, Neil Young - My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue) (interestingly, they titled it Into the Black)
for newgreen I will show my favorite Paul related covers.
To me, a good cover is one that doesn't make me want to immediately listen to the original. It satiates me on it's own special level. That's why EVERY SINGLE Beatles cover just isn't good. It just isn't. But what about enter random cover here? Yeah, no. It's not. But here are some good ones covering other bands: Sea and Cake - Sound and Vision - Bowie Lassigue Bendthaus - Ashes to Ashes - Bowie Nirvana - Man who sold the World - Bowie José González - Heartbeats - the Knife Frente! - Bizarre Love Triangle - New Order Smashing Pumpkins - Landslide - Stevie Nicks David Bazan - Packt Like Sardines - Radiohead
Is that Smashing Pumpkins cover a redub or something? It's absolutely beautiful, wow. Edit: Whoops, turns out I'm thinking of a completely different song. My bad. Still absolutely beautiful.
It's interesting no one's addressed this point: I wonder how true this is. It appears that in the past few years, especially this year and last, the cover song is how most new groups try to break through. Easier to get someone to your soundcloud page with a Kanye or "Tanning Mom" cover than it is to get anyone to your bandcamp page full of originals. In fact, covers of viral videos (like Tanning Mom, Friday, and others) are churned out within hours-to-days of the viral "apex" of the originals. It's kind of crazy and very 'now'. Perhaps there's some contempt for the acts latching on to the ill-begotten and fleeting superstardom of random internet weirdos and mega-legit superstar pop acts, but it's happening all the time and more seem to enjoy it than not. A lot of covers have been covered here, so I don't know how many beyond this I'd have to share, but I thought Jimmy Eat World did a really nice job reinterpreting one of my favorite Wedding Present songs, "Spangle" - oops, it's nowhere to be found online. You'll have to get their Singles collection or the tape someone made for me in high school. Barring that, there's this: Dillinger Escape Plan covering "Come to Daddy" by Aphex Twin. I hope the link works because I'm not checking it at work (can't find my headphones). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7R4zEgEvx0In the past, covering songs was a part of what making music was all about. Somewhere down the line, that became a no-no and even now it's a practice sometimes mentioned in tones of contempt.
It works! Thanks for addressing that. It's definitely less true that covers are seen as "merely derivative" these days, but it really seemed like there was a period where originality was prized above all else and that the cover was something to be hidden away on terrible compilation discs (some of which I own).
Walt Mink's cover of Nick Drake's "Pink Moon". Sebadoh's cover clearly influenced the later Walt Mink version. Sebadoh is silly, which you would expect from an album whose title spins the title of John Entwistle's first solo album. Walt Mink really turns the song into something else, something bright.
I should clarify "silly", as it has nothing to do with the instrumental performance. Low Barlow screaming the chorus is... okay, that's not silly. Yes, it's silly. It was silly when I first played it on my first ever radio show in 1993. It's still silly. That's not a bad thing. It's just... silly.
Oh my god, I love Nick Drake, and I love Sebadoh, and I didn't know that existed. That's fantastic. And ridiculous. I love it. Walt Mink's cover is pretty good, too. Not usually my sort of music anymore, but it's good. I've never heard that song sound so upbeat.
I often like covers better than the originals but especially when bad songs, or just bad singers, get their song much better done : - Friday by Matt Mullholland http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxleH60hDJY - Hit me Baby one more time by Travis http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NwqN-xj9Xs - Don't speak by Anna Maria Jopek http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UAsrsx9ljA
..etc
Late to the party but here's a neat Cello cover of the Game of Thrones theme
And here is a synth-pop cover of the Game of Thrones theme.
Nah, users kind of trickle in and out of threads sometimes. Cool cover. I'd like to dive into what's going on in the world of stringed instrument music these days. It seems like that crowd is doing some interesting stuff, or maybe I've just come across more of those kinds of covers than is representative.
found this cover on thesixtyone.com of "rock the casbah" that felt cool and different. http://www.thesixtyone.com/#/s/affMDr4e6Lj/ can't find it now but there was a beautiful radiohead cover this girl did of "idioteque." the punch bros. do some amazing radiohead covers you can check on youtube.
Purely off the top of my head: My Heart To Joy - Goldheart Mountaintop Queen Directory - Guided By Voices Paramore - My Hero - Foo Fighters Passion Pit - Tonight, Tonight - The Smashing Pumpkins and especially Crystal Castles - Not In Love (feat. Robert Smith) - Platinum Blonde
Donny Hathaway's Jealous Guy is great, never heard it before, thanks. I think Frankie Miller has an even better version Jealous Guy. I have about a hundred covers I like but I think I'll just post some more great beatles covers. It almost seem obligatory for every soul artist to cover a beatles song, here's a few of the better ones. Wilson Pickett Hey Jude. I don't really like wilson much, but I think this is a pretty good cover. Aretha Franklin - Eleanor Rigby. I think the studio version is even better, but the video is more entertaining to watch then an album cover. Al Green I Wanna Hold Your Hand. Short and sweet. I got a bunch of reggae covers of the beatles but I don't really feel like weeding em out right now, lots are good. Trojan Records put out a two or three reggae beatles albums that have some gems, and plenty of non-Trojan reggae covers. In the reggae vibe but from a rasta punk band I always like the Bad Brains Day Tripper, it's mashed up with the Stones She Comes in Rainbows. I like to play covers of songs daughter loves on the theory that it will help her distinguish the similarities and differences between things. She loves the beatles and Blackbird has always been a song she enjoys. It was fun to see her light up with delight and sing along to both these versions. Roslyn Sweet & The Paragons Billy Preston I haven't even dipped my toe into rock or country beatles covers, but I think I've done enough.
These are great cgod. I have effectively brainwashed my daughter in to loving the Beatles. The other day, "I'm Only Sleeping" came on my iPod while on shuffle and she said, "it's the Beatles." I was pretty proud. She can also name them by sight and often by sound.. at least Paul. She LOVES Ringo. What kid doesn't? As for Beatles covers, the first that always spring to mind are all the Joe Cocker covers. I'm not saying they're the best, just the first ones that I think of. I will say that his version of "A Little Help From My Friends" was always a favorite of mine, so long as I'm able to separate it from the Wonder Years intro. But his version of "She Came in Through the Bathroom Window" always jumps to mind too. I dig the Preston version of Blackbird, I've never heard that before. Hopefully, Preston has free reign to cover any Beatles song. In fact, it shouldn't be called a "cover." Maybe just a sheet. Ever hear the Pixies version of Honey Pie?
I've got the original Aretha at the Fillmore LP. If I ever get a chance to pick this up on the cheap I will. I am no fan of Ray Charles but the track with him on the record is ok. Jerry Jemmott is a fine bass player but James Jamerson (my favorite bass player of all time) was a long time Aretha side man, I wish he had been on this date.
Nostalgia 77 absolutly killed the White Stripes Seven Nation Army I really like listening to different versions of the same song, like more than one cover and think about what makes each one special. Sam Cook's A Change Is Gonna Come is probably one of my top ten songs of all time but I couldn't tell you if I like his or Otis Redding's version better. I definitely like the Redding arrangement more, but think Sam Cooke is pretty much one of the most amazing vocalist of all time. I guess Otis wins because his version can bring tears to my eyes. Forget the those two GIANTS and dig Baby Huey's take this glorious aspirational song to a new place with a crazy psycadelic, break down laden with personalization and wild carzy soul screams. Another of my top ten songs of all time is well represented by Les McCann What's Going On. I guess since I've got some kind of civil rights theme going for the last two songs I'll toss in Barbara Dane with the Cambers Brothers doing It Isn't Nice. I'll bet no one here is familiar with the song, which kinda takes the it being a cover kick out of it, but it's a lovely cover, way better than the original. The Barbra Dan and the Cambers Brothers album is mostly covers, all incredibly well wrought. Seu Jorge and Almaz's version of Everybody Loves the Sunshine is great. Portland Oregon's own Sexton Blake put out an amazing album of thirteen covers, all so good it's hard to choose a best one.
Evil Woman
Woke up this morning with great covers on my mink, already forgot at least one of em. Harry Nilsson won a best male vocal performance Grammy from his cover of Badfingers Without You. It's a sappy song and the wolves video version is a bit silly but Harry really had some pipes. Detroit Cobras can really tear the ass out of rock cover. Cover of the Shrangri-La's Eaiser to Cry. The Dirtbombs from Detroit grind out some mean covers as well. They did an admirable job of transforming Marvin Gays Got to Give it Up, don't see it on youtube but check it out on a music service of your choice. Quixotic does some great covers. Here is a good version of [Billy Stewarts],(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g14VdGTDt64) Sitting in a Park. It's a nice transformation. I would have never heard Billy Stewart if it wasn't for Quixotic. Some one else posted Xiu Xiu's Fast Car a while back, I think it's a great version of a great song. I love this think of great covers game, don't think I've shuffled through my memory this hard in months.